Gigantic Marshmallows

I went shopping today at my friendly neighborhood grocery store and saw something I would have absolutely flipped over as a kid. Giant marshmallows. I mean, Super Gigante Malvavivos, from Mazapan de la Rosa in Jalisco, Mexico. They each weigh a full ounce and come in vanilla and strawberry, all artificially flavored, of course (I crossed my fingers for all-natural, but, alas, no such luck). I cracked up when I saw them and quickly tossed them in my cart, knowing what a kick my kids would get out of them. In the picture below, I've included a bottle of extract to show how huge they are.

They were nearly ransacked before dinner. I had to convince the kids that spaghetti and meatballs was better to eat before eating the super gigante malvavivos (a tough argument). Dinner was quickly dispatched and a few marshmallows devoured. Then, my husband had a brilliant idea, since I had also brought home a few bags of coconut (no, the macaroon madness hasn't ended). Chocolate dipped giant marshmallows rolled in toasted coconut. Did I marry well, or what?

So, I toasted some coconut in a pan. Watch the coconut while it's toasting - it browns very quickly. I held the pan over the flame, not directly on the stove, and kept the coconut moving. Immediately dump the coconut in a bowl to keep it from over-browning. Then, I melted chocolate chips in a metal bowl over a simmering pan of water. When the chocolate is smooth, turn off the heat under the water. Be very careful not to splash any water into the melted chocolate - it will "seize" and be unusable. You won't even be able to re-melt it. I like to keep the bowl over the warm water to keep it pliable.

Prepare a pan with parchment paper. Seriously, get some parchment paper if you don't have any and you won't ever have to spray, butter, or flour a pan again. Wax paper works, too. 

Dip the  bottom 1/2 of the marshmallows (you can use normal size if you can't find the giant ones - it just won't be as fun) in the chocolate, gently swipe the bottom against the edge of the chocolate bowl and dip into the bowl of coconut, pushing some up the sides of the marshmallow. Set this on the parchment and allow to set. If your kitchen is on the warm side, put them in the fridge for a little while. You can also eat them while the chocolate is warm and the marshmallow is a little gooey. I won't judge you. I promise.

Since I had extra chocolate, I dipped a couple marshmallows in the chocolate and didn't roll them in the coconut. Then, I threw a big handful of regular, non-toasted coconut in the remaining chocolate and made little coconut nests. No need to waste any chocolate. As a matter of fact, I believe there is an international law prohibiting such an act. The chocolate police are watching.